In a stunning twist of fate, an anonymous 66-year-old man from Illinois reaped the rewards of a $2 million scratch-off lottery ticket, leading him to immediate retirement and fulfilling his granddaughter's dream of owning an RV, NBC Chicago reports. The lottery winner's sudden life change was the result of a casual stop for gas at a Pilot Travel Center in the Chicago suburb of Morris.
The man's wife cautioned him not to scratch the ticket in her presence, claiming she brought bad luck. Taking her advice, he scratched the ticket at home, only to rejoice upon finding he had won the top prize of the 100X Payout Instant Ticket game, according to Fox 32 Chicago. Amid tears of disbelief and cries of joy, the man immediately decided that was the right moment to officially retire after 40 years of work.
His former employer could hardly believe the news and inquired what it would take for the winner to continue working, to which the man humorously replied, "$2 million dollars!", as mentioned in the NBC Chicago article.
Surprisingly, the ticket that altered the man's life had been selected due to its charming pink hue resembling his granddaughter's favorite color. "Every year I take my family to the Chicago RV & Camping Show. After winning today, she asked me, 'Grandpa, when do I get to go for a ride in your new RV?' So, I guess I'm buying an RV now," the winner told Fox 32 Chicago.
According to the Illinois Lottery, over 48 million winning instant tickets have been sold within the state over the course of this year alone, totaling payouts of over $1.04 billion to players.
A spokesperson for the Illinois Lottery acknowledged that although retailers are notified once a ticket no longer contains a top prize, the process of physically removing tickets from stores can take up to three months.
